This award recognizes individuals or organizations for outstanding
service to families and communities, as well as Rotarian family
members who make positive contributions to a Rotary club.

Awardee: Betty White – Kwinana Rotary Club

Mrs Betty White has provided extensive support to Rotary since
her husband, Matthew White, joined the Rotary Club of Kwinana in December 1992.

Outstanding areas of service given by Betty throughout the years include the following:

For over eight years (2005-2013) Betty was involved almost every week in working within a team at Rotary fundraising barbeques on Saturdays.

When the Club Barbeque Project Manager was away for approximately two months during 2010, Betty performed the role of Acting Barbeque Manager.

For over 10 years Betty has been a member of the Christmas Day Lolly Run team which has driven aroundthe streets of Kwinana on Christmas morning distributing bags of lollies to children living in the community.

Betty also assists each year with preparations for the Anzac Day and Australia Day Breakfasts serving food during the event, and cleaning up after the event.

Over the years Betty has also frequently made her home available for club social functions. On occasion Betty has also looked after the young children of a female club member so that the latter could attend various Rotary functions.

Awardee: Margaret Mansfield – Mill Point Rotary Club

Since moving to the South Perth Community in 2010 Margaret has volunteered at the South Perth Senior Citizen’s Centre, sitting on it’s social committee and is active in seeking donations for the Annual Gopher Muster, the Christmas Concert and the regular tea dances. The South Perth Senior Citizens Centre Manager describes Margaret as someone who is “always willing” and can be relied upon when asked at the last minute to help out.

As a Rotarian Partner Margaret is involved in everything that happens, and is never shy to help out and volunteer extra time. This year in particular Margaret has gone above and beyond, supporting husband John with the volunteer training prior to Ramble, and ensuring bellies were never hungry. She followed this up with a full day of volunteering on the day of the Ramble, roping in friends to help too.

Margaret was also the BBQ queen feeding the hungry hoards of tree planting volunteers as part of the Men of the Trees Tree planting project in Beverley.

Margaret and John also attended the Perenjori wildflower weekend 360 km North of Perth assisting to ensure catering was well provided.

Margaret embraced the theme of changeover dinner, actively
participated in the Club Visioning day, and volunteered her time
as a car park attendant with the Waterford Weekend.

Margaret participates in the Mill Point ladies dinners, has attended
our Hotham Valley train trip, and the annual ‘Guess who is coming
to Dinner’.
With a warm smile and sparkling eyes, Margaret Mansfield is an
asset to the Mill Point Rotary club.

Awardee: Margaret Mendelawitz – Applecross Rotary Club

Margaret was brought up in South Perth and attended Applecross Senior High school beginning in their inaugural year. She trained to become a Nurse at Fremantle Hospital and King Edward Memorial Hospital where she met her future husband Barry.

She established the “Meet a Mum” Association in Perth which was created to try and help thousands of mothers who feel out of their depth, depressed or a little isolated when their babies are born. With a neighbour she produced a directory of parent support services for 10 years.

Margaret is also Involved in parent education classes and is Involved with P&C Applecross Primary school while all sons attended.

Margaret Mendelawitz is a graduate in history and anthropology from the University of Western Australia. She has had a lifelong interest in Australian social history stimulated largely through her being a descendant of pioneering families who settled in Western Australia in 1829-30, and Victoria in the 1850s.

Margaret is the editor of a five book series Charles Dickens’ Australia. Selected Essays from Household Words 1850-1859 comprising volumes titled:

Convict Stories;

Immigration;

Frontier Stories;

Mining and Gold; and

Maritime Conditions.

Margaret has been a volunteer mediator for the Citizens Advice Bureau Perth and Gosnells Legal Service since 2003. She is a Accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner.

Margaret was actively involved in establishing the Bakhita Community Centre in Eraulo East Timor. She is a founding Mother of the City of Melville Friends of Hatolia and has been a management committee member since inception in 2005.

Melville Friends have been involved in helping build a Senior Secondary high school with dormitory in Hatolia and paying teachers’ salaries as well as providing resources and school furniture and in providing funding and building toilets in primary schools.